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Auburn’s Pre- and Post-Game Rituals. Before the coin toss, fans at Jordan-Hare Stadium are whipped into a frenzy by the “flight of the eagle.” As they roar “W-a-a-a-r,” and opponents look on in trepedation, a trained raptor pounces on a leather falconry lure at midfield as the crowd booms: “EAGLE!” If Auburn wins, look out for the “rolling” of Toomer’s Corner: Fans wielding rolls of Charmin and Scott cover the ancient oaks lording over that intersection with bath tissue.

The 10 Commandments of College Football Fandom. Love it. 1. Thou shalt wear team colors. But think twice before adorning yourself with body paint—you don’t want to be the Internet photo that goes viral. 2. Thou shalt know—and sing—your team’s fight song from beginning to end. Sure, you can “watermelon watermelon” your way through the alma mater, but not memorizing the fight song is a fan failure. 3. Thou shalt keep your language clean (unless, of course, the quarterback fumbles on fourt...

WAR EAGLE
--10 commandments of college football:
1. Thou shalt wear team colors. But think twice before adorning yourself with body paint—you don’t want to be the Internet photo that goes viral.
2. Thou shalt know—and sing—your team’s fight song from beginning to end. Sure, you can “watermelon watermelon” your way through the alma mater, but not memorizing the fight song is a fan failure.
3. Thou shalt keep your language clean (unless, of course, the quarterback fumbles on fourth and goal).
4. Thou shalt support the coach. Even when his calls are questionable.
5. Thou shalt be respectful to visiting teams. Remember: Southern ladies and gentlemen never boo.
6. Thou shalt set up a tailgate no fewer than three hours before kickoff (six if it’s a night game). Table linens and matching huggers encouraged, but not required.
7. Thou shalt theme your tailgate food around the visiting rival. Gator bites, anyone?
8. Thou shalt stay through the fourth quarter—rain or shine. That’s what ponchos are for, y’all.
9. Thou shalt respect the solemnity of Game Day by planning weddings, births, and other life events around the football schedule.
10. Thou shalt not covet other teams’ bowl games, national championships, or Heisman Trophy wins. There’s always next year.
|From the September 2011 Magazine Issue

The 10 Commandments of SEC College Football Fandom from Southern Living Magazine... WAR EAGLE

Southern Football Traditions

Bobby Dodd Stadium, Georgia Tech. Hiding in plain sight in midtown Atlanta, two miles from the Georgia Dome, is this colorful 97-year-old treasure. Designed and built by the school’s students in 1913, this Fenway-esque old bowl exists in a different dimension. One of the most irresistibly charming vignettes in college ball remains the gold and white, OOGHA-ing Rambling Wreck—1930 Ford Cabriolet Sport Coupe—making its quaint dash across the field before every home game.

The Ramblin' Wreck at Bobby Dodd Stadium, Georgia Tech

Southern Football Traditions

The Landing, Jacksonville The bawdiness and license on The Landing the day before the Florida-Georgia tilt evinces a college rivalry so bitter it must be held at a neutral site in Jacksonville (EverBank Field, formerly called Alltel Stadium). The SEC has asked media outlets to stop referring to the game as “The World’s Largest Outdoor Cocktail Party.” Now it is “The Bacchanalia That Dare Not Speak its Name.”

Downtown Jacksonville, FL

Southern Football Traditions

Tailgating at Ole Miss On home game days, Oxford’s storied, 10-acre greensward turns into a tableau of antebellum civility and manners: tables set with lace and fine china, chandeliers suspended from the boughs of the elms and magnolias. To see the cocktail dresses on display in The Grove is to be reminded that not all the talent is on the field.

FROM SOUTHERN LIVING. LOVE! Tailgating at Ole Miss
On home game days, Oxford’s storied, 10-acre greensward turns into a tableau of antebellum civility and manners: tables set with lace and fine china, chandeliers suspended from the boughs of the elms and magnolias. To see the cocktail dresses on display in The Grove is to be reminded that not all the talent is on the field.

Being the home of the @University of South Carolina Gamecocks, we sure do know how to tailgate here! Submit your photos from Columbia, SC to @Southern Living, and show how we do game days in #famouslyhot fashion.

Southern Living | Southern Football Traditions | Tailgating at Ole Miss As many Mississippians know, there is nothing quite like the team spirit and the good ole fashioned southern hospitality you find at an Ole Miss tailgate!

Football Mania Photo Contest Calling all football fans! Share your favorite game day photos—from over-the-top game day attire to terrific tailgating food.

Football Mania Photo Contest: Football Party Photos, Game Day Pictures & More - Southern Living

University of Virginia Law School in Charlottesville. Please accept me! <3

Southern Living: the South's best college town = LOVE

Charlottesville, VA

LSU’s Maned Mascot On game days at LSU, opposing players must walk past an actual caged tiger (these days, a Bengal-Siberian mix named Mike VI). A generous donor gave money to build the mascot a beautiful habitat, hard by Tiger Stadium, where Mike lolls in luxury, behind clear walls, between games.

LSUs Maned Mascot - On game days at #LSU, opposing players must walk past an actual caged tiger (these days, a Bengal-Siberian mix named Mike VI). A generous donor gave money to build the mascot a beautiful habitat, hard by Tiger Stadium, where Mike lolls in luxury, behind clear walls, between games.

Join the South's Biggest Tailgate Party Only in the South is game day more celebrated than any other event–even weddings. Use our easy recipes and spirited gear finds to make sure your tailgate party measures up to the rest. Traditions Menus & Recipes Gear The South's Best College Towns You don't have to be a backpack-slinging coed to love these collegiate classics. Share | Print | Email | Add Comment | Read All Comments (181) Text size:AAA Blacksburg, VA Photo: Blake Sims , Article: Stirling Kelso « 14 of 22 » View all Blacksburg, VA The home of Virginia Tech, in the New River Valley 45 minutes from Roanoke, feels blissfully off the grid. Hokie campus–a 2,600-acre green dotted with stone buildings and ancient oaks–meets downtown on College Avenue. Try local brews like Peachicot Blonde Ale and listen to live music at Top of the Stairs, a dive bar discreetly located in a charming white building. NextColumbia, MO

Oxford, Mississippi -- Courthouse Square is at the culinary and cultural heart of this quintessential college town, the stomping ground of great minds past and present (William Faulkner and John Grisham, to name a few). (Photo: Courtesy of Peggy Maringer , Article: Stirling Kelso)

Best College Towns - Oxford, MS Hotty Toddy!

Best College Towns - Oxford, MS Courthouse Square is at the culinary and cultural heart of this quintessential college town, the stomping ground of great minds past and present (William Faulkner and John Grisham, to name a few), and the birthplace of the Southern Foodways Alliance. Claim a balcony table at chef John Currence's City Grocery to sip craft cocktails and watch Ole Miss students mingle in the lively hub below.

tailgate Southern style

Happy Tailgating Y’all!

Laura, I have a phobia with "dead-heads" so the unexpected sight of it nearly caused me to shriek! Go Hogs!

Sandra Orr Cassimus

Ha ha!

Laura Reedy

That's our tent!! Hotty Toddy!!!

Sandra Orr Cassimus

I am a hard-core Razorback fan. In the world of tailgating, there is Ole Miss at one end of the spectrum and everyone else at the other! P. S. The centerpiece of the recently living boar's head was a nice touch last year! :-/

Nancy Hamby

There's no other tailgate experience to compare with that in the Grove at the University of Mississippi!! HOTTY TODDY and GO REBELS!!!

Magnetic Koozie in 4 Colors | Leave it to Southern gals to accessorize their drinks. Bonus: This nifty Koozie sticks to the side of your car during incumbent tailgating. We’ll toast to that! | SouthernLiving.com